Wound dressings of various kinds and different levels of effectiveness have existed throughout history. However, it wasn't until 1920, after the First World War was over, before there was an effective bandage for simple injuries that didn't need to be stitched. The wound dressing we all know as the Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by Earle Dickson, a Johnson & Johnson employee. On Dec. 28, 1926, Mr. Dickson was awarded U.S. Pat. No. 1,612,267 for his invention.
Since 1920, the Band-Aid, and wound dressings in general, have seen little improvement, despite the issuance of a number of patents, and the filing of patent applications in the field. For example, U.S. application 2009/0105625, is directed to a toe and finger guard that includes a protective member bendable from an initial, generally plainer, shape, to a curved shape, when mounted on a digit to be protected. U.S. application 2006/0206047 describes a bandage consisting of a shaped laminated sheet with an interior layer of absorbent material for absorbing moisture and wound exudate, an exterior layer of loop material on the exterior side of the bandage, and a splint of a stiffer material sandwiched between two of the layers. U.S. Pat. No. 8,211,044 is directed to a bandage comprising a sheath that fits around at least a portion of the circumference of a finger, optionally comprising a pouch for retaining an insert.
All of the references cited above generally cover a bandage of standard sizes and shapes which are provided to the consumer as a complete product. Therefore, if the bandage is not provided in the right shape or size to address a specific wound, the bandage can be useless to the consumer. This is particularly true for wounds over joints in the body such as finger joints, elbows, knees etc. When there is a wound over a joint it is often necessary to prevent the joint from flexing so the wound will heal. Also, there is often joint pain without a wound, and it is necessary to prevent the joint from flexing to avoid joint pain. In order to have a bandage that can be adapted to various joints in the body, standard sized bandages will not always be effective. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the consumer with the means to create a custom bandage to prevent a joint from flexing to prevent joint pain, and/or to prevent a joint from flexing so a wound over a joint will not re-open.